


no other half could ever make me whole

by fonulyn



Series: the pinnacle of self-indulgence (aka my happy place) [5]
Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Car Accidents, Chris is a great friend once again, Disgusting amounts of fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and a tiny bit of smut, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Non-Life Threatening Injuries, Piers Nivans Lives, Piers is alive and happy and healthy, Ring shopping!, mentions of claire - Freeform, mentions of others in passing - Freeform, they're it for each other okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:41:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27078199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fonulyn/pseuds/fonulyn
Summary: Piers gingerly sat down on the edge of the bed, still holding on to Leon’s hand. “Are you… is it…” he tried, but didn’t really find any words to ask what he wanted to know. Sure his conscious mind saw Leon was fine, awake and speaking and all, but there was a part of him that still couldn’t fully believe it.“C’mere,” Leon said, giving Piers’ hand a tug. “I promise I won’t break. Give me a hug.”And that was all it took to make Piers fold. He was still careful as he shifted so he could lean closer, bring them chest to chest and hold Leon as close to himself as he could in their position. “I was so scared,” he confessed as he pressed his face into Leon’s neck, breathed in deep as if he wanted to assure himself with all of his senses that Leon was still there. Still alive, still breathing, stillwith him.--Or the one wherein they get a scare and there's a proposal.
Relationships: Leon S. Kennedy/Piers Nivans
Series: the pinnacle of self-indulgence (aka my happy place) [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1540780
Comments: 10
Kudos: 30





	no other half could ever make me whole

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LovelyLeons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovelyLeons/gifts).



> this is still the most self-indulgent thing in the world for me. my emotional support verse. my light in darkness. lol but yes. expect on-tw-three more of these, probably, at some point in time :’D

Leon hated parties. The only redeeming quality of this one was that it wasn’t exactly for _him_ and no one expected him to do much more than smile politely at the people who came to talk to him. He’d spent the better part of the past hour trying to hide behind the buffet table with his drink, hoping that he was invisible enough there. 

It did make him feel better to know that Chris hated these things even more than he did. And this was _in honor of Chris_ , so he had to stand there awkwardly, listen to speeches and shake hands although he probably would’ve rather been doing just about anything else. 

Grinning a little to himself, Leon took another sip of his drink, scanning the room. Mostly it was full of BSAA representatives, higher ranking ones, but there were also politicians and businessmen who partly funded the BSAA, and a small group of people Chris had gotten to invite himself. Claire was, as usual, the light of the party as she didn’t give two shits about what anyone thought of her and let it show. At the moment she was swirling in the dance floor with Piers, despite his protests, as she’d announced that she would teach him to dance _properly_.

It looked like she was leading. Leon snorted into his drink, unable to stop from smiling. 

“Shouldn’t you be out there dancing?” 

Leon startled, as he hadn’t realized he’d gotten company. “How did you sneak up on me?” he asked, incredulous. It was a known fact that Chris wasn’t exactly the stealthiest of operatives, and Leon could count with the fingers of one hand the times Chris had managed to take him by surprise. 

“I don’t know,” Chris grinned, obviously pleased. Whether that was by his successful sneaking or because he’d finally managed to shake the old guy who had been monopolizing his time for a good while now. “Probably because you’re too busy making heart-eyes to see anything else around yourself.”

As an answer Leon only huffed, glancing back towards the dance floor. Claire’s joy was contagious, and somehow she’d managed to draw Piers into it, too. They were laughing as they were spinning each other around, neverminding the fact that everyone else was doing a slow waltz around them. “I’ve got to say,” Leon hummed after a moment, “I didn’t think I’d live to see the day when Chris Redfield retires.”

“It’s not even full retirement,” Chris grumbled. “It’s basically a damn promotion, that’s all.” 

Carefully, Leon looked at his friend. They had talked about this, at length. He knew that Chris was unhappy about the change, but at the same time felt that it was necessary. Now that he was nearing his fifties, he wanted to make sure that the BSAA was on the right track and would treat its people better, wanted it to be his legacy when he was gone. Yet that didn’t mean the transition from a soldier to a desk job was an easy one.

“You’ve done your fair share of fighting, you know that,” Leon offered carefully. It was nothing he hadn’t said before, but he figured it could be repeated, until one day Chris might even believe it. 

Chris only turned to look at him, arching an eyebrow. “So have you.”

That startled a laugh out of Leon, one that wasn’t exactly a joyful one. “It’s not that easy,” he said slowly. There was a twinge of regret in his chest, something like envy, because he wouldn’t have minded switching places with Chris. Wherein Chris still felt the drive, the passion to save the world, Leon himself… He was _tired_. He knew it was selfish but he wanted to live for _himself_ for the first time in the past twenty years.

Wistfully he looked back towards the dance floor. Claire had released Piers, who was now dancing in a considerably calmer way with Jill. He still didn’t get to lead, though, and Leon felt his heart swell with sheer affection. 

Chris nudged Leon with his elbow. “You know I’m right here for you, right?”

“I know,” Leon answered automatically. He did know. And he appreciated it more than what he had words for. Yet they both knew he couldn’t just march in the next day and say he’d quit, that he was done and that he was retiring and letting younger people carry on with the fight from now on. No, things were far more complicated than that, even if Chris seemed to be the eternal optimist who didn’t see it as much as a lost case as Leon did.

Thankfully Leon was spared from saying anything more as suddenly there were arms wrapped around him from behind. Automatically he relaxed into it, knowing who it was without even looking. He’d been held in those arms often enough, and the mere thought of that made his heart warm. “Have you been hiding here the whole time?” Piers asked, amusement evident in his voice as he set his chin on Leon’s shoulder. 

“ _No_ ,” Leon answered, a little too fast to sound believable to anyone who knew him at all. 

“Yes he has,” Chris interjected helpfully. He reached out and patted Piers’ shoulder before already turning to leave. “Try to at least make him eat something. I bet that he’s been nursing that same drink for the past hour.” With a grin he left them, heading straight towards Claire. She was the only one who could get him to actually dance at functions like this, and she used that to her advantage shamelessly. 

As soon as they were left alone, Piers tilted his head enough to brush his lips over the side of Leon’s neck, ending it with a small kiss right underneath his ear. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?” he asked, chuckling lightly, his breath tickling Leon’s ear. 

And Leon would’ve pulled back, he really would have, if it hadn’t felt so nice to stand there half-leaning against Piers. So instead of detaching from the embrace he hummed a little, allowing his eyes to slip shut. “I don’t know. I was kind of busy watching the official shit,” he answered, amusement clear in his tone. “It’s not every day that your best friend _and_ your boyfriend both get promoted.” 

Piers made a low, clearly delighted sound in the back of his throat at that, tightening his arms around Leon for a second. “As if you give a shit about anyone’s title or rank.”

“True,” Leon admitted easily, laughter bubbling from his chest, but then he huffed a little and went on. “But I’m not gonna lie, Captain Nivans does sound kind of hot.” He turned his head, only moving enough so he could sneak a peek at Piers, careful not to dislodge himself from the embrace. He arched an eyebrow, trying his very best to hold back his grin. “Do I have to start calling you captain in bed?”

Immediately Piers pinched Leon’s side, not too gently. “Fuck you.” He was smiling, though, not even trying to look the part even with how he’d aimed to sound annoyed. He looked downright pleased, and there were telltale hints of a blush rising to his skin. He always blushed so beautifully, and it made Leon want to lick a stripe along his neck and to his cheeks.

“Yeah well,” Leon answered, a little bit distractedly, as the mere thought of that was proving to be a little too much for his tired brain to handle right now. “I was kind of angling for that, _sir_.”

Piers laughed. “Oh, _fuck you_.”

The statement was kind of dampened by the way he spun Leon around and solidly kissed him.

*

Impatiently Piers bumped the car door shut with his hip, one arm wrapped around a bag of groceries while with the other hand he was trying to find the correct key to let himself inside. He figured that Leon had probably just arrived home moments before him, and definitely wouldn’t have had time to grab anything to eat, so he had grabbed some takeout as well, knowing that cooking something would’ve taken agonizingly long and that neither of them would have the patience for it today.

Besides, Piers had plans. Plans that didn’t involve standing around in the kitchen for hours, but rather doing something much more fun. He almost fumbled the key onto the floor as he tried to fit it into the lock, but managed to catch it in the nick of time. Somehow he finally got the front door unlocked and stepped inside. “Leon?”

There was no answer, so Piers headed further into the house, only to find it empty. He set the food onto the kitchen table and dug out his phone, checking for possible messages and finding none. Not that it was anything out of the ordinary. Sometimes things took longer than expected, and it was more often than not that their schedules changed without warning. So he figured out he could as well eat while the food was still hot. Leon could heat his later. 

Suddenly his phone went off, the ringtone blaring loudly in the otherwise silent room, and without thinking Piers answered the call, assuming it was Leon calling him he was on his way. “Hey, you’d better hurry up. I got you Indian and it’s getting cold as we speak!”

“Piers, it’s…”

The voice at the other end of the line startled Piers so badly he almost dropped his phone right then and there. “Chris? What’s up?” He shook his head, admonishing himself for just assuming who the caller was without even checking the ID. Obviously it could’ve been basically _anyone_ who had his contact information. “Sorry, I thought it was Leon, he’s not home yet and—”

“I know, it’s him I’m—” Chris cut him off, but then hesitated and let the words die out. He sounded odd, really unlike himself.

That was more than enough to make Piers feel uneasy, his stomach twisting in knots with worry already. “What is it?”

“Apparently I’m still his emergency contact?” The words came out almost a question, but this time Chris didn’t pause before he went on. “He was in an accident. You’d better get there as soon as you can. I’m driving back to the city but I’m still ways out, you’ll be there much sooner than I, and I—”

Chris still went on talking but Piers didn’t really register any of it. He was already dashing to the door, only pausing to grab his keys on the way before all but running back to the car. Distantly he heard Chris tell him where Leon had been brought but that was about it, as apparently his panicking brain filtered everything else out as unimportant. 

It was like there was room for nothing else but the sick, twisted mass of worry inside of him, and he had no idea how he even managed to get to the hospital without getting into an accident himself. And the worst part was that when he did get there, no one was willing to tell him anything at all. 

Afterwards he would probably be more than a little embarrassed about the fit that he pitched, more than a touch hysterical, to the point that one of the nurses finally guided him into a quiet corner. Turned out that he was one of Leon’s emergency contacts, as well as Chris, and once the nurse got him communicating more clearly things started to unravel.

To a point. Apparently there was nothing much to even know right now. Leon had been taken into surgery, but the extent of his injuries wasn’t clear. There wasn’t more information to be had, and Piers had to settle for that, as much as he hated that. 

“You’ll need to sit down,” the nurse told him, gently guiding him towards the seats that were lining the room. “We’ll know more once he’s out of surgery, right now there’s nothing to do but wait. Is there someone we could call?” He placed a palm onto Piers’ shoulder, firmly urging him to sit down. 

Piers shook his head, several times, searching for words. “N-no. It’s. No.” He twisted his fingers together, biting his lower lip so harshly it almost drew blood, and still he felt like he was vibrating out of his skin. He looked up at the nurse, who was still talking, but barely registered any of the words. Finally the nurse gave one more soft smile, and left him sitting alone in there. 

That only lasted for a couple of minutes, until Piers simply could not stay in his seat anymore and jumped up, pacing the length of the room restlessly. A part of him wanted to go out and run, run until he’d be so breathless and exhausted that he wouldn’t have any energy left for worrying. Yet he couldn’t leave the hospital, not when he didn’t know if Leon was going to be alright. There was no way in hell he’d leave.

Finally he heard loudly echoing footsteps, and the next second Chris burst into the room, looking disheveled and rumpled, like he’d ran through a hurricane to get there. “How is he?” he asked immediately as he stopped next to Piers, clearly out of breath.

“In surgery,” Piers got out, but somehow saying it out loud made tears well up in his eyes again, his throat lacing up with the gigantic lump that he could barely breathe around. “They’re not telling me anything. They’re not… I can’t even go there.” He looked up, blinking rapidly in an attempt to force the tears back. Then he squeezed his eyes shut, inhaled as deep as he could, even if it made him feel only marginally more in control. 

Wordlessly Chris reached out, and when he pulled Piers close, Piers didn’t even try to resist. Willingly he sank into the warm embrace, grateful for any and all support that he was given. He pressed his face into Chris’ wide chest, and although he’d tried so hard not to cry he knew he was leaving a wet patch on Chris’ shirt. “He’s got no one, Chris. He’s all alone in there.” The words were a mere whisper, barely audible and muffled. 

Chris patted Piers’ back, squeezing him closer and holding him so tight it almost hurt. He seemed to need the contact equally much, drew strength from it while lending his own. “I know,” Chris said finally, after a pause, a barely noticeable waver in his own voice as well, “but he’s got an army of doctors and nurses there to take care of him. We’re being much more useful when we’re not in the way.”

Weakly Piers made a noncommittal sound, as logically he knew that it did make sense. Even if he’d been allowed to go in there he wouldn’t have been able to do anything, but he still couldn’t shake the feeling of uselessness, the thought that he should be doing at least _something_ , anything at all.

“I'm as worried as you,” Chris said as he almost reluctantly let Piers go. When they both took half a step back he placed a warm palm onto Piers’ neck, smiling at him. “But c’mon, it’s Leon. He’ll pull through.” 

Giving it his best shot, Piers smiled back, and somehow came more easily than he’d expected. His chest felt a little lighter, and just having Chris there helped him get a grip on his emotions, at least on some level. He was still scared. He was still worried and nervous and _terrified_. But it was a little easier to deal with it all. “Yeah,” he got out somehow, “yeah. You’re right.”

“Of course I am,” Chris replied easily. He nodded firmly towards the chairs. “Now sit your ass down.” He took the chair next to Piers’, their shoulders brushing as they sat there side by side. No words were exchanged for the longest time, but none were needed, either. They waited.

*

Never in his life had Piers been as relieved as he was when he finally got to step through the doorway and Leon looked directly at him, smiling faintly. He looked like hell, his arm in a cast and the entire left side of his face bruised and scraped, a black eye like a cherry on top of everything. Yet he had never looked better: he was _alive_.

There was a lump so big in Piers’ throat from the sheer relief that he couldn’t get a single word out, he simply froze in the doorway as his feet refused to work. Thankfully Chris was right there and clapped a hand on Piers’ shoulder, gently guiding him into the room and closer to the bed. 

“Hey there,” Chris said, voice rough from the lack of use, and as soon as he got close enough he reached out to pat Leon’s knee softly. “How is it that you survive several zombie apocalypses but then get blindsided by a car?” They didn’t exactly know the specifics of the accident yet but apparently someone had run a red light and slammed right into Leon’s car, sending them both off the road. 

“Well,” Leon croaked, chuckling a little as he heard his own voice. It was a pained little sound, but he was smiling, and that was something. “I guess my luck had to run out at some point?” Carefully, he turned to look at Piers. He could obviously read the barely concealed panic that was still like etched on the younger man’s features, as with great difficulty he raised his arm to reach out. “Hey, c’mon. I’m okay. It could’ve been worse.”

Finally Piers gained control over his limbs and he grabbed Leon’s hand, holding on almost a little too tight. “Please never do that again,” he somehow got out, although he knew that it wasn’t Leon’s fault he was here. 

“Yeah I could live without the scare, too,” Chris added with a low laugh. He could sense the heaviness in the air as much as anyone, so he gave Leon’s knee another soft pat and nodded towards the door. “I’m going to go call Claire and give her the update. I’ll be back.” Without waiting for a reply he stepped out of the room, giving the two a moment. 

There was silence at first, until Piers gingerly sat down on the edge of the bed, still holding on to Leon’s hand. “Are you… is it…” he tried, but didn’t really find any words to ask what he wanted to know. Sure his conscious mind saw Leon was fine, awake and speaking and all, but there was a part of him that still couldn’t fully believe it. 

“C’mere,” Leon said, giving Piers’ hand a tug. “I promise I won’t break. Give me a hug.” 

And that was all it took to make Piers fold. He was still careful as he shifted so he could lean closer, bring them chest to chest and hold Leon as close to himself as he could in their position. 

“I was so scared,” he confessed as he pressed his face into Leon’s neck, breathed in deep as if he wanted to assure himself with all of his senses that Leon was still there. Still alive, still breathing, still _with him_. He twisted his fingers into the fabric of the hospital gown Leon was wearing, just to stop his hands from shaking. 

Slowly, with great effort, Leon carded his fingers through Piers’ short hair, leaving his hand to the back of his head. “I’m sorry.” His voice was still rough, raspy like he had to focus on every single syllable to get them out. “I didn’t mean to make you worry.” Slowly he kept on moving his fingers, the soft caress gradually making them both relax, as they held on to one another. 

For a long time they stayed silent. They were reveling in the closeness, in the knowledge that they hadn’t lost it, at least not yet. And while Piers had known already before how deep he was in this, Leon almost dying made it all the more palpable. No one knew when their life was due to end, and with jobs like theirs? Any mission could be the last one.

So Piers made his decision. The lack of eye contact made him feel like he could just blurt it all out, and so he did. “I know it might be a huge thing for you and I don’t want to pressure you into anything, I mean, it’s obviously alright if you don’t want to, it doesn’t need to change anything, and I will just—”

“ _Piers_ ,” Leon stopped him, amusement evident in his voice. He patted the back of Piers’ head gently, a little admonishingly. “You’re babbling.”

Piers pulled back, enough to finally meet Leon’s eyes with his own. “When I was out there, freaking out and thinking you might die, I…” He paused, just holding the eye-contact as he tried to decide how to best put his emotions into words. Then he went with the most direct approach possible. “I love you. And I want to marry you.”

There it now was. And the longer Leon stayed silent, just watching him, the more nervous Piers got. Maybe he was overstepping after all? He knew that what they had was solid, he knew that it was _real_ , and it was mutual. But marriage was something they hadn’t talked about, ever, and suddenly he felt his palms go clammy and his hands start shaking with how nervous he was that Leon might hate the whole idea. 

“I know it’s just a piece of paper, alright,” Piers spoke up as he couldn’t stand the silence anymore. It had been only seconds, sure, but it felt like a small eternity to him as he was waiting for the verdict. “I know that it doesn’t mean anything, really, and that it won’t change things and I—”

“Yes.”

The single word cut his babbling more effectively than an explosion, and Piers forgot what he’d been saying as he stared at Leon, mouth agape. “What?”

“I said yes,” Leon repeated, and slowly a grin blossomed on his face, the sparkle in his eyes almost amused. “Although I kind of expected you to be more traditional about this. You know, go down on one knee and all? Roses and a dinner, the ring in a champagne glass? Or whatever it is that fancy people do these days,” he laughed weakly, obviously tired but at the same time thinking he was _hilarious_. 

Piers couldn’t stop grinning. So wide his face kind of hurt. “I still can. If that’s what you want.” His heart was doing friggin’ somersaults in his chest, and he could’ve sworn that he’d never in his life been more elated. With good reason, if one asked him. 

“No,” Leon shook his head, “I don’t need any of that. As long as I’ll get to have you.” His voice was soft, full of honest-to-god _adoration_ , and he reached a hand out to beckon Piers to come closer. “Now c’mon. Do I have to wait forever for an engagement kiss?”

Happily Piers obliged, practically falling in so he could catch Leon’s lips with his own.

*

“C’mon, is this really necessary,” Leon mumbled for probably the tenth time, playfully resisting when Piers tried to pull him into the small jeweler’s store. “You can just pick whatever you want, I promise I’ll go with that.” He wasn’t really into jewelry, had never gotten into the habit of wearing any, and while he knew that wedding bands were a whole different thing to him it was what they symbolized that counted, not what they actually looked like.

“ _C’mon_ ,” Piers echoed back at him, huffing a little impatiently as he stopped and spun around to face Leon instead. His arm had been hooked with Leon’s, so they ended up with only a palm’s width between them, and Leon wanted to just close the gap between them and shamelessly steal a quick kiss. That was what he tried, but Piers dodged the attempt, grinning as Leon’s lips barely brushed his cheek. “I never in a million years thought that you’d _ever_ agree to this.”

The wording made Leon frown a little. “Agree to what? Marrying you?” There was a stab of guilt in his gut for the thought of that. His commitment issues had been what tore them apart before, what they’d had to tiptoe around and slowly work their way through, and although he liked to think that they were on the same page by now – after literal years of work – maybe he hadn’t adequately showed that to Piers? 

“Marrying anyone,” Piers corrected, his smile softening. He brought his hand up, brushed his fingers over Leon’s cheek. The scrapes he’d gotten in the accident had almost entirely healed during the past week, the bruises now a faded greenish brown. They didn’t hurt anymore so Leon only leaned into the touch, like drawn into it, and knowing how touch starved he was Piers didn’t even try to pull his hand back. “Look, if you really don’t want to do this, I’m not going to make you. But this is it for me. You are it for me. I fully intend to only do this once in my life, so…” He shrugged vaguely, brushing a loose strand of hair off Leon’s forehead, tracking the movement with his gaze. “Let me have this?”

The earnestness in his voice, in his eyes, made Leon all but melt and when he leaned in again, Piers met him halfway. It was barely a brush of lips on lips, nothing more than that, but the kiss still made them both smile and once they parted Leon gave a small headshake, gesturing towards the door. “Let’s go get the rings, then. Just keep in mind,” he reminded as he lifted his left hand that was in a cast, “I won’t be able to actually try any of them on. My fingers are like three times the usual size.”

“Don’t worry, I know your size,” Piers replied nonchalantly, obviously not bothered in the slightest, as he pushed the door open and pulled Leon inside. He only paused in the doorway for long enough to give Leon an exaggerated wink. “I promise I’ll pick the exact right size.”

“Oh, great,” Leon grumbled, even if his act was entirely ruined by the way he was grinning. “Finally all of the handholding is good for something.”

“Hey!” Piers protested immediately, pulling his best shocked face. “I thought you _liked_ the handholding.”

There was no time for Leon to reply anything before they were interrupted by a cheerful “Good morning, gentlemen! What can I help you with?” They turned towards the counter, where a brightly smiling sales clerk was gesturing for them to get closer. 

“Oh we’re just browsing,” Piers started, at the exact same time as Leon answered with a “We’re looking for engagement rings.” They exchanged an amused look, and Leon even shifted a little closer so he could bump his shoulder against Piers’. He took over, repeating what he’d said. “Engagement rings. He proposed a week ago, and didn’t even have the foresight to buy a ring beforehand, can you believe?” 

That earned him a jab on the ribs but he only chuckled at it, not turning to look away from the clerk. The man seemed immediately excited, moving a few feet towards the side where they had dozens of rings, a sparkling sea of diamonds that made Leon’s face curl into a distasteful frown. “Granted, most of our selection is catering to a more… feminine taste, if I may? But platinum and white gold are always good investments, and diamonds never lose their value, so—”

“No, no diamonds,” Leon cut him off, giving him an apologetic smile. “Unless he wants them for his,” he went on, giving a slight nod towards Piers, “I’m mostly looking for something really simple. Something that…” He trailed off, not really sure how to explain what he wanted. 

Thankfully Piers took over. “Something work appropriate. Neither of us works a job where we can wear flashy things so it has to be very practical.” He noticed how tense Leon was and discreetly placed a palm in the small of Leon’s back, the touch already enough to ease some of the tension off Leon’s shoulders. Noticing the reaction, Piers left his hand there, especially after Leon ever-so-slightly even leaned closer to him. 

“Oh,” the clerk nodded understandingly, and he bypassed the sparkly diamonds in favor of a smaller selection of simpler bands. He pulled the tray up from the case and set it on the counter, pointing at a simple silvery ring that had no embellishments at all. “Something like this? If you’d like it to have some …personality to it, might I suggest this line as well?” He pointed at a few rings that didn’t have stones embedded in them, but had carvings or different patterns. “These are titanium, which is very durable and doesn’t need much caring for.”

The slight frown was gone and Leon looked at the rings with curiosity rather than with contempt, and Piers already counted that as a win. The clerk pointed out a few options he thought might interest the two of them, but then let them have a moment for themselves to choose. 

“Do we want the same design for both?” Piers asked, plucking one ring from the tray to take a closer look at it. The whole proposal had kind of come so suddenly, in the end, that there were so many things they hadn’t talked through. 

“I thought so?” Leon said, kind of absently as his attention was on the rings. “It seems… more meaningful? I don’t know. I don’t want it to be just another accessory.” Then he turned to Piers, nodding towards the one he was holding. “I like that one.” It was a simple band, but while one side was polished and shiny the other side was sanded and matted, the two halves meeting along the middle, one fading into the other. 

Piers was still trying to process the words, his heart thumping in his chest way too fast, and he had to swallow hard before he managed to say anything at all. “I like it too.” Smiling, he turned his head, his nose brushing against Leon’s cheek as he had leaned in close to look at the ring. “I was kind of hoping that you would.” His voice was thick with emotion, there was no masking that, but the small store was empty anyway, there were no witnesses.

For the briefest second it felt like Leon would close the last distance between them and initiate a kiss, but then he only melted into a smile, nodding as their eyes met. “Want to have them engraved?” he asked. “Can you wait that long?”

“It’s not like you could wear yours yet anyway,” Piers pointed out, even though he knew already before speaking that it’d earn him a fond eyeroll. “How about I pick what they’ll write in yours, and you can choose the engraving for mine?”

Leon didn’t even need to think about that before he agreed with a chuckle. “It’s a deal.”

*

“Wait, wait—” Piers gasped, pulling back in the nick of time before they reached the bed. He knew Leon, and was perfectly capable of reading the signs well enough: Leon had been about to launch them both onto the mattress, and that wouldn’t do, not with Leon’s arm in a cast.

Further proving his point, Leon let his head drop backwards, groaning in frustration towards the ceiling. “C’mon. You’ve been treating me like I’m made of glass for _weeks_ ,” he complained, but already as he spoke he slipped his right hand underneath Piers’ shirt, splaying his fingers wide over his abdomen. “We’re _engaged_ ,” he said, the word alone pulling goofy grins from them both, “we just picked out rings. Are you really going to deny me engagement sex?”

Chuckling, Piers rolled his eyes. “No,” he said, because _hell no_ , he wasn’t aiming for that at all. He was, however, determined to make sure that Leon wouldn’t ignore his injury and end up aggravating it further. If Leon wasn’t going to take it seriously enough, Piers would do it _for_ him. “But,” he continued, brushing his fingers through Leon’s hair, and the kiss that followed was gentler and slower than the hasty ones from before. “I’m not marrying you if you’re not careful with that arm.”

“Lies.” Leon grinned, leaning into the touch. “You will. Nothing in this world could stop you now.”

Piers couldn’t exactly deny that. Now that they’d gotten this far, there was no way he would walk away, for anything. As long as Leon wanted him. “True,” he agreed, working the buttons of Leon’s shirt open. It took some maneuvering to get it off him, with the cast in the way, but they were practiced in it by now. Leon had tried to resist at first, but after a few days of Piers stubbornly helping him he’d given in and allowed it. 

Still, it was slow going, Piers trying to be as careful as possible and Leon impatiently trying to speed things up. Neither of them was willing to give up, and it ended up in playful scuffling and wrestling, as much as Leon’s arm allowed it. 

By the time they were finally naked and crawled into bed they were giggling almost hysterically, both of them aware of what a sight they would’ve made with the whole ordeal. The laughter died into a muffled moan when Piers rolled close, though, slotting one leg between Leon’s and kissing him with a touch more intent than the quick playful pecks in the midst of the undressing process. He trailed his right palm down Leon’s chest, over his side and to his hip, marveling in the feel of warm skin and the muscles shifting underneath. 

The kiss broke when Leon made a pained noise into it, hissing as he shifted so he could rest his injured arm against the mattress. He’d again forgotten about it and started to reach out for Piers, only to be reminded of how very much not healed the bone still was. “This fucking cast,” he grumbled, inhaling slowly two, three times as the pain passed. “I just want to—”

“Hey, I know.” Piers smiled at him, craned his neck to press a soft kiss onto his lips. “Be patient. Once the cast comes off, I promise you, you’ll get to touch all you want. I’ll mark the day on the calendar and we’ll do nothing but each other.”

That earned him a breathless laugh, and Leon was smiling again, the frustration and the pain long gone. “You sure you want to promise that?” he asked, his gaze like a caress over Piers’ face. “I might not let you get out of bed for _hours_. I have plans. Big plans.”

“Do I look like I’d mind?” Piers laughed. He ducked down again, playfully tugging on Leon’s lower lip with his teeth, before kissing him again. Now that Leon had settled down comfortably Piers had no intention in letting him move enough to hurt his arm again. So he pinned him down, trailing kisses along his jawline and to his ear, dropping his voice to a low breath as he spoke. “Who says I don’t have plans, too?”

The words made Leon shiver, and easily he tilted his head to offer Piers more room to work with, grinning as he realized Piers was shamelessly sucking a mark underneath his ear. “Oh, care to share?” he asked, although his mind already provided an endless array of possibilities of what they could do with a long day in bed together. Realistically they’d probably fall asleep not even halfway through their plans, in the end, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy the anticipation, having all the options open for them. 

“No,” Piers answered simply. “I’d much rather you kissed me.” He didn’t exactly give Leon the chance to, though, as the moment the words had left him he tilted his chin up and captured Leon’s lips with his own. As he had Leon sufficiently distracted he slid his hand down, laced his fingers around Leon’s dick and easily worked him into full hardness. Within minutes Leon’s mouth was slack against his own, his breaths coming in short gasps, his hips canting upwards weakly as he was trying to get more of the sensations. 

And Piers practically purred, grinning in satisfaction as he had Leon right where he wanted him. It felt almost unreal, knowing that this man had promised to _marry_ him, had promised him forever, and he knew that it wouldn’t properly sink in before they’d pick up the engraved rings and Leon would actually be able to wear his. Maybe it wouldn’t feel real before the wedding, or maybe it would take even longer to process. Right now it almost felt like a dream, like a fantasy that was too good to be true. 

So Piers kissed Leon again, drank in every single low moan and content sigh that spilled from Leon’s lips as he kept stroking him. He allowed himself to get lost in the moment, in the shared warmth and all the skin on skin, in the slow grind of their bodies as they almost lazily worked towards the peak together. 

If this was the first day of the rest of his life, Piers thought, it couldn’t have started any better.


End file.
